Worn
by westeros
Summary: slightly darker than my usual fluffy/corny-ish drabble. Remus and Tonks are both completely worn. Warning: there's a bit of profanity


**Worn**

can go with The Perks of a Metamorphmagus, basically stands alone, slightly dark (compared to what I usually write) I apologize if the paragraphing is off! Still trying to learn how to format things, asdiklasd

**WARNING: contains little profanity**

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><p>The hallway of 12 Grimmauld Place was lit, dimly, by two wands laid upon the dark, cold, and unswept floor. Below a portrait of Walburga Black, rested a pale and thoroughly worn Remus Lupin against the wall. His clothes were slightly tattered and disheveled. The warm brown in his eyes stood out against the pale color of his skin and the slight blue bags on the top of his sunken cheeks. Jolting, he snapped back into focus at the sound of broken glass, and a hissing voice.<p>

"Well, oh fuck!" Tonks' familiar voice carried into the hallway from the kitchen. She frantically began to pat herself down, in search of her wand, not realising she had left hers with Remus'.

Remus sighed as he pushed himself up against the wall, grabbed his wand, and walked into the kitchen. He was just glad none of the portraits had awoken. He rubbed his face with one hand, and pointed his wand at the broken glass while muttering 'scourgify' in another. They both stared blankly at the ground before them. Tonks finally dragged herself towards the counter, pushing away one of Arthur's muggle toys and hopping on top of it. She dropped her face into her hands, and looked back at Remus.

"Im sorry," she began hoarsely, "I just thought that we could both use some Earl Grey, but I forgot for a moment that I shouldnt be allowed in kitchens."

She put on a small smile, but Remus didnt smile back. The smile faded, and her head dropped back down. The silence was welcome, and comfortable. It lasted ten full minutes, with Tonks sneaking weary glances at Remus. His eyes remained glued to the floor the whole time. Finally, Tonks had tentivaly stepped down from the counter top and stood beside Remus. He still wouldn't look up. She boldly placed her hands on his shoulders. After a while, she began to slowly rub them, the roughness of the fabric prickling her palms. She got tired though, so she sighed, dropped her hands, and wandered into the hallway. Twirling with her wand, she tried to morph her hair into a brighter pink. Without a mirror, she couldn't tell that the color of her hair was remaining in the same form. She needed sleep. Between Mad-Eye and her job as an auror, she was finding herself in bed for only a couple of hours each night. Her mind went blank, and she stared at the wall in front of her. Remus slipped into the hallway and sat beside Tonks again.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, Dora?" His voice was rough and low.

"Why aren't _you_ in bed?"

"_Dora._" Remus looked away from her, leaning against the wall even more.

"Fine." She muttered, too tired to stay up with Remus, as much as she wanted to.

This was her first time being with him right after he had finished morphing back from his wolf form. She came into Grimmauld Place instead of her own because Mad-Eye would be meeting her here the next morning anyways. She walked in on Remus putting away some wolfsbane and trembling. It was an awkward and somewhat embarrassing experience.

She was going to collapse onto the couch when she heard Remus call out her name in a soft groan. She got back to him quickly, despite how sore her whole body was.

"Yeah?"

"Promise me, that tomorrow, you won't wake me until noon? That you'll bring Sirius and I chocolates? That you'll do imitations of the whole Weasley clan? That you'll stop me from trying to read? That you'll nag me about Exploding Snap? That you'll speak in your bubbly voice all day long, no matter how annoyed Sirius gets?" Remus spoke in a slow and despondent manner.

"Shite, Remus?" Tonks said softly, her face eteched with confusion."Sleep now, Remus. You're going a bit...insane." She ruffled his hair affectionately, and pulled him up.

His body slouched onto her. Remus was acting very much out of character. As much as it confused her, she enjoyed the small confusing monolague. It was just more evidence that he thought of her as much as she did, and that maybe, just maybe, he liked her too. He could reject her all he wanted, tell her all of his 'faults', but she knew he'd admit it one day. After she laid him down on the couch, she kneeled on the floor beside him.

"To bed Remus. I'll do Charlie's and Molly's imitations tomorrow. Promise." Tonks laid right on the ground, too tired to move and sleep somewhere else.

"Sirius and I'll tell you about marauder pranks we pulled tomorrow...and the time I made shitty firewhiskey...and all the fucking codswallop things James said about himself to impress Lily.." Remus smiled and drifted straight to sleep. Tonks listened to his breathing for a while, thinking about how she'd be able to mimick Molly's voice, and slept.


End file.
